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Arizona Police Plans in Limbo; Inside Arizona's Jail Tent City; Spain Issues Warrants for U.S. Troops; Fight for Your Strong Marriage; Rangel Ethics Charges; Unemployment Numbers Fall; Pizza Companies Engaged in Price War; Headstones Dumped, Graves Mismarked at Arlington National Cemetery
Aired July 29, 2010 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right happy pre-Friday, guys. And welcome, everybody. Good morning.
This hour we are talking about the outrage at Arlington National Cemetery. How Army bungling has dishonored the dead and angered the living? Mismarked graves, dumped urns, headstones.
We are talking to a man who found out the hard way that his hero father's headstone was dumped in a stream. He saw it in the newspaper.
A black magazine breaking a tradition with a new hire.
And wedded bliss might be even more blissful if you would fight a little more. You just have to make sure you fight right.
9:00 a.m. on the East Coast; 6:00 a.m. out West. I'm Kyra Phillips and you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We begin with Arizona divided. Relief on one side, rage on the other. The state's controversial new immigration law now in effect but not before a judge blocked big chunks of it.
Status checks, day labors, deportation, the toughest in the nation guidelines, not so tough anymore. Take a listen.
So what's changing? What's staying the same? And what's next for SB 1070? We're covering all of it. Giving you perspective that you won't get anywhere else.
Chief national correspondent John King on the beat with some of the most outspoken sheriffs. He's buckling up and going on patrol.
Amber Lyon heads inside the clink which immigrant detainees will call home. But home is not a cell. It's a tent. And Amber shows us the bare bones to core.
And Gary Tuchman picking grapes. Out into the fields with immigrant workers.
The watered down 1070 took effect at 12:01 this morning. But the toughest parts blocked. Police cannot question immigration status based on reasonable suspicion. It cannot require folks to carry immigration papers. And a ban on illegal immigrants looking for work, that's out for now.
So what's in? A crackdown on harboring and transporting illegal immigrants. And sanctuary cities may be a thing of the past. It's a crime for state officials to refrain from enforcing federal immigration laws and day laborers can't hold up traffic to pick up work.
The fight over this law far from over. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer promising a quick appeal and protesters say they won't rest. This could go all the way to the Supreme Court now.
But in the meantime, a lot of people that plans are out in limbo right now.
John Zarrella live in Phoenix.
So, John, where does the law stand at this moment?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as Governor Jan Brewer said yesterday, it is just a bump in the road as the way she put it. But there is certainly a long road to go.
In fact, today the state is likely to appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. That's in San Francisco. And they are asking for an expedited appeal. They want the court to go ahead and look at this case very quickly. But very quickly could still mean weeks if not months before the Circuit Court goes through it page by page, and decides what, if anything, to do with the lower court's ruling.
Now, at the same time, sheriffs here in Arizona, and particularly here in the Phoenix area, the sheriff says it's not really going to change anything for him and he is going to continue with crime suppression sweeps that he's been carrying out.
In fact there is one plan for noon this afternoon. And the reason he's saying that is because he says that what the judge did yesterday just says that officers, his deputies, can't be forced to ask somebody for documentation. But it doesn't mean that they can't ask for documentation.
So the sheriff here says, I'm still going to go ahead with those crime suppression sweeps. Now meanwhile, just a little while ago, there was a small group of protesters who left the area here at the state capitol and they marched over to Trinity Church.
And they are not really protesting now. They are actually celebrating, giving thanks, they said, for the fact that the judge ruled the way she did yesterday.
Now there are still expected to be many more demonstrations, many more protests throughout the day here in Phoenix and around Arizona. And even into the evening hours, Kyra, because these people say that, in fact, they know that their fight to get this law blocked permanently is far from over -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: All right. So what are police plans for today, John?
ZARRELLA: Well, the police plans for today, at least here in Phoenix area, in this county, are to go ahead with the crime suppression sweeps. It's about the 18th or 19th that the sheriff has conducted in the last three years.
And if in fact they arrest criminals, the sheriff says they will, in fact, ask for documentation that these people are legally in the country. And if they're not, but they've committed a crime, they'll be arrested and taken to jail here and then ultimately once their sentence is served, that at that point they'll be turned over, the sheriff says, to immigration authorities.
That's his practice. That's the way they'll do it. And other sheriffs in this -- in this state are saying similar things but, you know, the law was always gearing in a flux as to whether it would be uniformly applied from county to county, from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
And that's still the question here as to how the law or lack thereof is going to be applied now as they move forward until the appeals process and ultimately the Supreme Court likely decides -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. John Zarrella, appreciate it.
Well, moving on. Let's -- we know that the most controversial parts of that law were put on hold. But we want to know what happens now. You just heard the Arizona's governor isn't wasting any time appealing the injunction.
But CNN's senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin says that the state will have a tough time getting that hold overturned. So there's a good chance that the case will go all the way to the Supreme Court. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: It's very hard to imagine this case ending up anywhere else. This is why we have the Supreme Court. This is a big issue. It deals with fundamental constitutional law.
What's the responsibility of a state? What's the responsibility of the federal government on a very important and controversial area? It seems to cry out for the Supreme Court's attention.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And this doesn't just involve Arizona but 18 other states are considering immigration reform. But because of this hurdle, they may have to find another blueprint.
Now -- anything about this law has become big news. Right? Big news means big action and definitely a big banner. More protesters scaled the construction crane at the downtown Phoenix last tonight amid a crowd -- well, I guess, it happened downtown Phoenix. I guess it happened amid a crowd of onlookers who are unfurling this large banner opposing Senate Bill 1070.
It says, "Stop hate." They've been arrested and they'll likely be charged with trespassing now.
New law or not, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County will keep doing his thing. Here\s what he told CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA: I don't remember care about expense. I have tents. Very cheap. We'll put them in tents if they are convicted. But you know when we stop someone that's in violation of the law, regardless if it's a criminal violation, they're here illegally, they're going to be booked into our jail instead of turning them over to ICE.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right, so you heard him mention tents. Let's see what Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Arizona tent cities are actually like.
CNN's Amber Lyon takes us inside.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMBER LYON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The Maricopa County Sheriff's Department here in Phoenix, they're not waiting around. In fact, they constructed this new section. It's known as section SB- 1070.
And it's ready to house 100 detained immigrants. They've added 100 beds made of metal. We've got three-inch thick mattresses here. The prisoners are going to be living right alongside the regular inmates wearing the same garb, the black and white striped jumpsuits, the pink socks, pink underwear.
And some people are under the impression that these inmates are forced to sit out here in these tents in the hot sun all day long. But that's just not the case. So we're going to bring you on a tour to show you the rest of the facility.
When the inmates want to cool off, they can come into this large room. It's known as the day room. This is where they can hang out. They can play chess, read a book. Even have access to cable TV over there.
And if they need to, they can get a haircut. This guy over here is getting the back of his head shaved. And they'll have lockers where they can store their personal belongings. Their papers, anything that they want to keep safe.
And pretty much they'll be able just to mingle with the general population here. The population that the sheriff's department is calling the knuckleheads of criminals.
You're not going to be mixing the immigrant detainees with murderers or really serious criminals?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We only have minimum and medium security inmates here. They're usually here for like DUI, small drug charges. All maximum security inmates are housed in other facilities out (INAUDIBLE) jail.
LYON: And the immigrant detainees are kind of going to be just waiting here for ICE?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It depends on what they are charged with. All going to come from the courts. Depending on how long they're going to stay with us.
LYON: Several times a day the inmates will have to return outside and head into section SB-1070 for a bed check. There are 110 beds out here right now. But as Officer Graham was telling us, you guys say you have room for more?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do. We have a lot of county line to the south of us, we have several acres. And if we need to, we can just put up more fence, more razor wire and more tents. Put more beds in and we can house as many people as needed.
LYON: And Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio wants to make that very clear. Look at that sign over there flashing vacancy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Next hour, CNN's Gary Tuchman goes into the fields. He actually shows us what it's like to be an immigrant worker in the U.S. picking grapes in a hot desert field. A job no Americans are doing.
An old court battle gets new life in Spain. Arrest warrants issued for three U.S. soldiers. They're wanted in the death of a Spanish cameraman killed in Iraq by U.S. tank fire in 2003.
Let's straight to CNN's Al Goodman. He's in Madrid to give us the latest.
Tell us, Al, walk us through the story.
AL GOODMAN, CNN MADRID BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Kyra. Well, this goes back to 2003. The Iraq war, American troops are taking Baghdad and a U.S. tank opened fire on the Palestine hotel, a very large structure, where there a lot of international journalists including a Spanish TV cameraman Jose Couso, who was mortally wounded by that tank round from the U.S. tank, as well as a Reuters TV cameraman.
Since then, Couso's family, the cameraman's family, having been trying to bring who they say the perpetrators to justice. And they've named three U.S. soldiers. This has been a long running court battle. It's been opened, closed, opened and now it's -- it closed and now it's open again with these arrest warrants by the same judge who indicted these three soldiers a few years ago.
Then there was a lot of legal maneuvering. Spain's Supreme Court just recently said that yes, the case can go forward so he's issued the arrest warrants again for these soldiers.
The allegations is that they must have known what they were firing at and the U.S. government has said that no, this was an act of war -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So, Al, what's the likelihood that these soldiers would stand trial in Spain?
GOODMAN: Well, the Spanish TV cameraman's own lawyer has said in the past it would be very difficult to get them arrested, A, and B, to be extradited to Spain to stand trial.
The U.S. authorities in previous cases -- the Pentagon in previous cases, when other countries have tried to get U.S. troops to go stand trial someplace else, as basically not acceded to those requests.
This case was at the various highest levels at the time, president -- then President Bush, then the prime minister's of Spain at the time, were all involved, as was U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. There were deep apologies, deep apologies, to the cameraman's family.
But basically the U.S. has said -- and some Spanish courts have also found -- that this was in a war environment and that the U.S. troops were not intentionally trying to kill civilians -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Al Goodman. We'll follow up.
Forty years on Capitol Hill but today will be like no other for legendary congressman Charlie Rangel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Legendary Congressman Charlie Rangel has spent 40 years on Capitol Hill. But what happens today will help shape his legacy. The House Ethics Committee is about to unveil its list of charges against him. And it may set a debt for a corruption trial.
CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar on Capitol Hill.
So, any chance of a last-minimum deal here to avoid the hearing process, Brianna?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Kyra, anything is possible. Certainly Democratic leaders would like to see a deal. I spoke with a senior Democratic aide who said they're still holding out hope that it can happen. But for all indications right now, coming from Rangel himself, it doesn't look like it's going to happen. And right now, I'm outside of the hearing room where preparations are already under way.
One of our photographers just ran into Charles Rangel outside of his office, and he said something pretty different from what he said in the last week or so, which was -- in the last week or so he said he's ready to sort of face what's going on and that sunshine's going to shine. Today he said, "60 years ago, I survived a Chinese attack in North Korea and I've always said I haven't had a bad day since." He actually wrote a book with that title. "Today, I'll have to reassess that," Kyra. That's what he said.
PHILLIPS: So these kinds of proceedings are pretty rare, right?
KEILAR: Yes. They're pretty rare. 2002 was the last time that we saw one, that was Jim Traficant, a Democrat from Ohio. Ultimately that ended in Traficant being kicked out of Congress. He was expelled.
Rangel -- this is really a hearing to air the different charges against him, or the different alleged violations in congressional- speak here. And that could pave the way for a trial process that would start probably in September, and what he could be facing would be anywhere from maybe a slap on the wrist, like a letter of reprimand, all the way to the worst, which would be being expelled from Congress. So there's a lot on the line here for Charlie Rangel, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll follow it, Brianna. Thanks.
Turning now from Capitol Hill to your child's classroom, next hour President Obama focuses on education, and the White House says that it will be a major speech on reform. You can see it live right here on CNN at the top of the hour.
Mother nature helping firefighters get a handle on a couple of stubborn wildfires in southern California. Flames are devouring homes, more than 30 of them destroyed. A state of emergency has been declared in Kern County, where two wildfires have burned more than 16,000 acres. Cooler temperatures and calmer winds are helping contain that blaze. Southeast, East heating up also. Or heat, rather is -- there's triple-digit temps, I guess.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLGOIST: Yes.
PHILLIPS: In the heat, right?
WOLF: Absolutely. A little bit of excruciating heat that we get sometimes along the coast of the Carolinas and Georgia. That's going to be the case, especially in places like Charleston, South Carolina. I mean, just brutal stuff.
Out west, it gets dry, you get the heat. Here, it's going to be the combination of the heat and humidity. Take a look at Charleston out near the parade ground, the citadel. You're going to have highs that are going to feel like -- well, it's about anywhere from 110 to about 118. Same deal in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Also over towards, say, more of the same for you in parts of central Georgia. Brutal heat.
But that's not the only place going to be warm around the nation. In fact, you take a look at the national perspective. A lot of red, places shaded in red. You can imagine the temperatures will be on the upsweep. Places like New Orleans, 95 degrees the expected high, high humidity is going to be a game changer. It's going to feel much warmer there. Dallas, 96. St. Louis, 89 degrees, 92 in Kansas city. Much cooler when you get out to the west coast. San Francisco with 63 degrees.
In term of rough weather today, we may see some of it develop across parts of the Ohio Valley. Scattered showers and storms. Same deal across the Four Corners. But right here, across the northern plains and into Big Sky Country, you have this area of low pressure. It's going to tap in with some moisture all the way from the Gulf of Mexico. That combination could give you chance of strong storms by the late afternoon hours.
That is a quick snapshot of your forecast. We've got more coming up very soon. Kyra? Let's send it back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right, Reynolds, thanks. New developments now in the criminal case against the doctors who treated Michael Jackson with all kinds of prescription drugs. That story straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Top stories in Arizona. The state's new immigration law now in effect, but the most controversial parts of the law have been blocked out. That includes the provision that says that police can question people's immigration status if it's believed they are in the country illegally.
In today's political ticker, legendary congressman Charlie Rangel has spent 40 years on Capitol Hill. But what happens today will help shape his legacy. The House Ethics Committee about to unveil its list of charges against him. It may also set a date for corruption trial.
Day 101 of the Gulf oil disaster, and optimism is growing. Admiral Thad Allen will meet with New Orleans parish presidents today. For the first time, he'll outline plans for after the well is permanently sealed. Allen says that all things remain on track for the static kill to begin as early as Sunday. If that works, the rupture would be permanently plugged from the relief wells.
BP is responding to complaints that it has been too slow to pay damages. It says next month, it shell out at least $60 million in advance for lost income in business revenue.
It's not easy to serve your country. Two wars, climbing suicide rates, PTSD, careless VA hospitals that put lives in jeopardy. Even homelessness. That heart-wrenching list goes on and on. But those are just problems for the living. Even our fallen heroes that have passed can't catch a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Let's go cross-country. An air force cargo plane crashes near downtown Anchorage, killing all four airmen aboard. That plane went down during a training mission near Elmendorf Air Force Base yesterday. The Air Force says that a board of officers will investigate. It's now estimated that nearly 1 million gallons of oil may have spilled into a creek in southwestern Michigan. Officials have ramped up efforts to clean it up using oil booms and vacuum trucks. The oil began leaking from a pipeline Monday and stretches 16 miles. The leak's been stopped, but the governor is still worried the oil may flow into the Kalamazoo River. The pipeline is owned by Enbridge Energy. The EPA officials overseeing the cleanup.
The fate of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich in the hands of 12 men and women in Chicago. The jury has begun deliberating in his corruption trial. Among other things, he faces 24 counts of corruption, including charges that he plotted to trade or sell President Obama's old Senate seat.
And in California, Dr. Conrad Murray may still be in legal trouble, but seven other doctors and a nurse who treated Michael Jackson last summer will not be charged in his death. California investigators say they did not find enough evidence to recommend criminal prosecution. But one doctor, who prescribed drugs to the pop singer using a fake name, could be disciplined by the California Medical Board. As for Conrad Murray, he still faces involuntary manslaughter charges in Jackson's death.
Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage. Frank Sinatra said so. But you might want to make sure that you work on a verbal fight. Put that into the mix once in a while. One expert says that fighting can actually make your marriage stronger. You just have to do it in a fair way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The Federal Reserve says that the economic recovery slowing down, and today we get a new snapshot of the labor market. Carter Evans of the New York Stock Exchange. Hey, Carter.
CARTER EVANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. We're talking about the weekly unemployment claims. They fell by 11,000 last week. Now, it's great to see that number falling, we need to see it falling. But it's got such a long way to go. Overall, 457,000 people signed up for first-time jobless benefits last week. And get this. We started the year with 456,000 new claims. So you can see there's really been no improvement so far this year.
So let's talk about some good news from corporate earnings. ExxonMobil making $7.5 billion over the past three months. That's a jump of 85 percent from the same time last year. The world's largest public energy company turned out more oil and gas last quarter. It was also able to sell it for a higher price. Exxon shares are on the rise in pre-market trading right now, and so is the broader market. We're getting ready for the opening bell right now. It's going to happen in just about ten seconds. So we'll talk about pizza for second while we're waiting for this, Kyra. Do you like pizza?
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. It's one of my favorite foods. And by the way, just for the record, I can eat an entire -- oh, hey, how are you doing? I can eat an entire large pizza. How about you? EVANS: Well, you know what? I think I can, too. But one of the reasons is, it seems like every time I order a large pizza, I'm surprised by the size. It looks like it's getting smaller and smaller. But --
PHILLIPS: What are you ordering? Are you ordering thin and crispy, or are you ordering the big thick crust? Come on, Carter.
EVANS: Just the regular one. However, I will say that if you get it from a New York pizzeria, the pizza is actually pretty good and pretty large here. Nevertheless, you're going to be happy to hear about this, because you can eat a whole large pizza. There is a pizza price war going on right now. Pizza Hut is cutting prices. Get this. $8, $10, and $12, permanently. That's a savings of at least three bucks of pie. In fact, maybe you can get two large, Kyra. Basically, Pizza Hut is responding to Domino's and Papa John's. They are also cutting prices to bring people in. It's pretty good news. And hey, by the way, our market is up about 44 points -- what's that?
PHILLIPS: You came from L.A., right, where everything is pretty darn expensive, and now you, get to get a great slice in New York. It's a whole new world.
EVANS: Yes, it is a whole new world. I love buying a slice from the streets of New York.
PHILLIPS: You can get them for a buck, by the way. I'll tell you where.
EVANS: A buck?
PHILLIPS: You got it.
EVANS: Hey, you know something I don't.
PHILLIPS: You know it. I'll keep you informed. All the pizza news you ever wanted. Carter, thanks.
EVANS: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: All right. When the foreclosure prices first hit it was easy to think that could have happened to me. After all, a lot of those folks were kind of greedy. They bought houses they couldn't afford or they took loans and drained all the equity. Now, hard evidence is the face of foreclosures is changing, and it could look like you and me. Josh Levs with the details. Hey, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. I don't get the good news about cheap pizza today. I got to talk to you about the rough news. It's latest in the housing market, but there really has been a big shift. So, let's take a look at what's been going on here. The latest report now that we have from realty track is that in metro areas across this country, 75 percent of them have seen a hike in foreclosures. We got much of video here showing you some of the latest foreclosures here. And let me tell you some of the latest statistics that break this down as well so you understand is this from realty track which markets foreclosed homes.
They say the reason behind this has changed. And this is what's so interesting. Previously, it was -- toxic mortgages. So many people out there had gotten these mortgages. They couldn't pay even if they had a job. Well, now, there has been a really important shift. More of the foreclosures that exist now are due to unemployment. And what they are -- seeing here, when they look at the surveys is that in the places where there's higher unemployment, yes, there are more foreclosures, and the highest numbers of foreclosures are aware more and more people are having the experience of unemployment.
Now, there's a bit of good news in this study. The most of the worst hit cities are actually seeing a little bit of a decline week by week right now. Things getting slightly better in some places. But let's do this, we have a Google Earth map. I want to take you to three of the worst hit places. We're going to start off in the worst- hit city. Check out this number. This is Las Vegas. This is a one foreclosure filing out of every 15 homes in that metro area which is a massive number. Let's zoom now over to Florida. You know, throughout this, we've been seeing Nevada, Florida, the biggest hit areas. Take a look here. Cape Coral and Ft. Myers, each had about one out of every 22 homes foreclosed there.
And let's go to California as well which is really similar. Modesto and Merced tied for third there. One filing out of every 22 homes. So, what we are seeing is the same states that have been most troubled throughout this, Kyra. Still the ones in the most troubled now, Nevada, Florida, and California. I'll tell you a little bit of good news. This is interesting. Utica, New York had the lowest filing anywhere followed by Burlington, Vermont and Charleston, West Virginia. They're almost untouched by the foreclosure crisis. If you look really hard, you can find a few cities here and there where it's a little bit better.
PHILLIPS: All right. At least, there are some good news. Thanks, Josh.
LEVS: You bet.
PHILLIPS: So, how can people -- we'll move on to that later. How can people actually -- all right. We'll talk later, Josh.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want a divorce.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't have one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When a couple starts keeping score, there is no winning. It's only degrees of losing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Josh, I want to make sure you're paying attention. That's nothing do with your marriage, right? LEVS: I love the video. It's a great movie.
PHILLIPS: All right. That was just one of the warmer, fuzzier scenes from "War of the Roses." Definitely not a chick flick and definitely not feeling the inspiration to tie the knot there, but wait, you can argue, apparently, just don't battle like Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner and no brutal bloody scenes at a fight club either. Brutal honesty is fine apparently. You can actually be good for your marriage. Make it stronger, make you closer, even more romantic. I don't know why John Roberts requested to do this segment.
Are you having issues, J.D.?
ROBERTS: None at all. I don't know if it's brutal honesty or it's just honesty.
PHILLIPS: I think brutal honesty is even better.
ROBERTS: Might be open to interpretation. This morning on "American Morning," we talked to Scott Stanley. He's the co-director for the Center for Family and Marital Studies at University of Denver. He's co-authored the book called "Fighting For Your Marriage." He says that there are ways that married couples can fight and actually make their relationships stronger. He says the biggest mistake that people make is hitting below the belt, getting nasty, snarling at each other because that can erode the positive connection that you have with your mate.
If you're a couple that fights like that, fights like that frequently, there's a pretty good chance that you may be headed for divorce court. But even if you are a couple like that or you're just getting into a marriage and you want to know how to do things, he had some tips on how couples can make a difference. Listen to what he said.
SCOTT STANLEY, CO-AUTHOR,"FIGHTING FOR YOUR MARRIAGE": Howard Markman, my co-author, colleague for a long time, we've worked for a long time on looking at things the couples can do that can make a difference. So, one tip that really matters the most of all is how to cool it when things are really getting too heated because a lot of couples, you know, they get warmed up. They get upset. They start getting a little bit nasty and have no way to put the brakes on. So, it's like, you know, careening down the mountain. There are no guard rails. And someday, you just going to fly off the side of the cliff.
But it doesn't have to be that way. You can have -- you can have an agreement with your partner. You can work on some kind of strategy for time-out about how you'll put the brakes on, what you'll say, what you'll each do during that time. So, that when stuff does get really going, you have a way to shut it down before you do much damage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right. That sounds good. Any other tips through fighting fair? He sounds really excited, by the way. How is his marriage? ROBERTS: He's been married 29 years.
PHILLIPS: I would take advice from him then.
ROBERTS: He's very happy. His parents have been married for 63 years.
PHILLIPS: Oh, my God!
ROBERTS: And even owned a business together. So, yes, it is possible to be happy in a marriage. He says one of other tips he says is part of keeping cool is being able to recognize when you're not cool, because very often, people get so worked up that they're extremely upset before they even realize that they are. So, develop some sort of, you know, barometer or thermometer (ph), whatever you want to call it to know when you're getting upset. He also says that people often argue about very important issues because something has come up at the time.
So, it seems like money or child care issues or job sharing or, you know, sharing of jobs around the house, whatever, talk those out in a much calmer settings so that when you do get into an argument with the other sibling, you're not dredging up all of these things that you never talk about. Most importantly, though, here's a couple of real tips, don't try to shout your partner into submission.
Never try to really kind of win an argument, and if one side tries to make up, say, because, you know, maybe a couple has -- maybe one part of the couple has printed out boarding passes on the computer when the other one has wanted to have the last day of the vacation, having a nice leisurely breakfast on the beach, if that person tries to make up, lovingly accept it and move on.
PHILLIPS: Yes, but I had to browbeat you to get you to lovingly make up. That's a whole another issue. Did you ask him about that?
ROBERTS: No, I didn't. But I figured that -- you know. Those -- those two tips actually were my tips. Not his.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll lovingly wrap up the segment. Thanks, John.
A first for the popular black woman's magazine "Essence, there's a new fashion director at the helm, and she is not what a lot of people expected.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. An Arizona's state new immigration law now in effect, but the most controversial parts have been blocked such as the permission that says the police can question people's immigration status if they believe that they are in the country illegally.
And more Toyota recalls to tell you about. It's recalling more than 400,000 vehicles because of potential steering problems. The car's impacted our Toyota Avalons between 2000 and 2004 and the Lexus LX-470 made between 2003 and 2007. If you have one of these cars, take it to a dealer. They'll fix it for free.
It's day 101 of the Gulf oil disaster. Optimism is growing, though. Admiral Thad Allen meeting with New Orleans parish presidents today. For the first time, he's going to outline plans for after the well is permanently sealed.
Things may be looking better in the Gulf, but, of course, the jokes just keep coming. David Letterman remembers the last 100 days since the spill happened.
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DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST: It's been 100 days since the British petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Tonight, we're going to give you a recap of the last 100 days. Hang on. Take a look. Rig explodes, oil leaks. BP lies about it. Oil continues to leak. People get tired of hearing about oil leak. People turn their attention to crazy Mel Gibson. (INAUDIBLE) Lindsay Lohan goes to jail. No crazy Mel Gibson pics (ph). Leak capped.
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PHILLIPS: Congressman Charlie Rangel has spent 40 years on Capitol Hill, but today will be like no other. The House Ethics Committee scheduled to unveil its list of charges against him. Allegations include not paying taxes on a home in the Dominican Republic and was using a rent controlled apartment for political purposes. The House could set a date for a corruption trial as soon as today.
Barack Obama, the first black commander in chief and the first sitting president to visit a daytime TV show. There's a pretty wide gap between those two historical milestones that make no mistake the president's visit to "The View" is politically important. Just ahead of the midterm election, he's hoping to charm swing voters and reconnect with soccer moms.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the last month, what has been the rose and what has been the thorn?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, in the last month, the rose has to be a couple of days we took in Maine with Michelle and Sasha and Malia. And we went on bike rides and hikes, and, you know, the girls are getting old enough now where they're not quite teenagers yet. So, they still like you. But they're full of opinions and ideas and observations. And it's just a great age. Malia just turned 12 and Sasha just turned 9. And it couldn't have been a better couple of days.
(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: The president's appearance airs this morning.
We're also waiting President Obama live at the top of the hour. He's focusing on education, and the White House says that it will be a major speech on reform. You can see it live right here at the top of the hour.
Army boggling that dishonored the dead and angered the living and triggered the Senate investigation. We're going to talk with the man who found out the hard way that his hero father's headstone was dumped in a stream, and he saw it in the newspaper.
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PHILLIPS: So put yourself in Mike McLaughlin's shoes. His father did our country and his family very proud. He fought in both World Wars, Korea, too. He was buried in a sacred place of honor, Arlington National Cemetery, a place Mike and his family and future generations can visit, point to the grave and say hey, that's my dad or that's my grandfather. A source of pride preserved for the ages.
James Warren McLaughlin earns his final resting place at Arlington. So you can imagine how his son Mike felt when he learned that his dad's headstone had been dumped in a stream. And it wasn't the only one.
How could that possibly happen at the nation's most prestigious and sacred resting place? His late father, now part of the national disgrace, the victim of serious Army bureaucratic bungling.
A Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee is looking into this now and there is a big hearing next hour.
Among the problems they are looking into, millions of dollars wasted on a failed upgrade to the cemetery's records. Yes. In the digital age, they keep track of 300,000 graves with pieces of paper. Also urns dumped in piles of dirt, graves with the wrong remains, unmarked plots. And yes, tombstones in the bottom of the stream.
And that's what we are talking about with Mike McLaughlin today. He actually learned that his father's Arlington headstone was in the stream after he saw a picture of it in the newspaper.
Mike, you must have come unglued.
MIKE MCLAUGHLIN, FATHER'S HEADSTONE DUMPED IN STREAM: I was not real happy, that's for sure.
PHILLIPS: How did you react? I mean, when you opened up the paper and you saw that picture and you looked closer and thought oh, my God, that's my father's tombstone. What did you say and what did you do? My guess is you screamed out from your chair as you were having your coffee.
MCLAUGHLIN: I called to my wife and just said that's dad's tombstone. And I was not real happy. My folks are dead. The cemetery can't harm them in any way, shape or form. But he and all the other service people in that cemetery are due some respect and honor.
I don't mind their taking his old tombstone away. Take a tombstone -- when my mother got buried with my father, they took the tombstone away, cut a new tombstone with dad on the front and mom on the back and they put it in place. That's still there. That's fine.
The tombstone I saw, the old one was not lying neatly in a row. It was just at the bottom of a stream where it had been washed down and it was covered with mud. I resented it on a personal basis, but also, I resented it for all the soldiers, the sailors, marines, good men and good women who are buried in that cemetery.
PHILLIPS: And we --
MCLAUGHLIN: We owe them a lot and we ought to treat them with respect.
PHILLIPS: Absolutely. And we're with you 100 percent on that, Mike. And we sure appreciate you just -- you know sharing this story. I know it's not easy for you to tell.
And I'm curious, when your -- when you're mom passed and you did put the new tombstone up with both of their names, did anyone at Arlington Cemetery say to you, hey, this is what we're going to do with the old tombstone? Or -- or do you want the old tombstone? Were you ever even contacted about the original tombstone?
MCLAUGHLIN: None of the above. We grew up -- I grew up in the area around the cemetery. I used to play in the cemetery.
I was aware of how they handled it. I still don't know why they have to cut a new tombstone, why they don't simply pull the tombstone, cut the other information on the back and put it back in the ground.
But, that would be a management problem and at this point, I have somewhere between zero and less than zero confidence in the cemetery's management.
PHILLIPS: Yes, I know. I think a lot of people feel that way, Mike. You have some pictures of your dad, right?
MCLAUGHLIN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: What's your favorite one? What do you have there? What can you show us?
MCLAUGHLIN: Well, there's one picture of me in a midshipman's uniform and my father with his arm on the table. This is -- the way he's resting his arm with his four Gold Stripes is the characteristic of naval officers who want to show they're in charge.
PHILLIPS: Is this -- is this though, can you see the pictures?
MCLAUGHLIN: There's another one --
PHILLIPS: Yes, I'm trying to -- I'm not sure if you can actually -- do you see the pictures that we're bringing up? Is that the right picture?
MCLAUGHLIN: That's the right picture. You'd have to pan down to the bottom of the picture to see his stripes there.
PHILLIPS: Ok, I got you.
MCLAUGHLIN: That was taken probably -- that was probably taken in 1956 or '57. I was commissioned in '57, so it was sometime before that.
PHILLIPS: What other pictures do we have?
MCLAUGHLIN: I have two more. One of them shows my mom and dad. Dad's wearing his whites and mom's got on a white dress.
That was taken right between our house and the house next door on North Oakland Street in Arlington.
PHILLIPS: And as we look at the final picture, Mike, with you and your dad, what do you want from this committee hearing today? Oh what a fabulous picture, you with dad and mom.
What do -- what do you want from the committee hearing today? What's going to bring you peace? And what's going to bring final honor to your father?
MCLAUGHLIN: It will content -- I will be content if one minor thing is done that is cost benefit analyses on whether one or two head stones should be used, whatever.
But the big thing is if the cemetery management can come up to speed, can manage the cemetery, the resting place for so many of our service people and their families, can manage that cemetery in a respectful and efficient manner.
PHILLIPS: Agreed. Well, we lift up your dad, J. Warren McLaughlin. And we thank you Mike so much for sharing his story, your story. And we sure hope that something positive comes out of this committee hearing today and that -- that our war dead is honored properly. That's for sure.
Thanks, Mike.
MCLAUGHLIN: Thank you for having me.
PHILLIPS: My pleasure.
Well, we're all over the Arizona immigration debate in our next hour. Let's begin with Phoenix and CNN's John Zarrella -- John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, Arizona is a state divided today after a judge blocks controversial provisions of the new Arizona immigration law. I'll have that story coming up.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Today, I'm talking about CPR. You can save a life by listening to the Bee Gees. It's really true and I'll explain at the top of the hour.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, dealing with heat can be awfully tough but when you combine that with high humidity, it can make things unbearable. That's what people across parts of the Carolinas and Georgia are going to be dealing with that today. I'll bring you the latest in just a few moments.
PHILLIPS: Thanks guys.
And in just a few minutes from now, President Obama returns his focus to one of his top priorities, education. The White House says it will be a major speech on reform. You can see it live right here on CNN at the top of the hour.
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